Bottle-seal.



No. 676,088. Patented lune Il, |90l. W. E. HEATH.

BOTTLE SEAL. @Applikation med Dee. 29, 1899. Renewed sepa. 27, 1900.)

(No Model.)

FFL

i] Non ne u UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. IIEATH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE CORONETBOTTLE-SEAL COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF SAME PLACE.

BOTTLE-SEAL.

SEECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 676,088, dated .T une11 1901. Application iilei December 29, 1899. Renewed September 27,1900. Serial No. 31,286. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. HEATH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Seals; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in bottle-seals; and theobjects and nature of the invention will be obvious to those skilled inthe art in view of the following eX- planation, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, which illustrate constructions merely asexamples of various other constructions and arrangements within thespirit and scope of my invention.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details inconstruction and in combinations and in arrangements of parts, as morefully and particularly pointed out and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure lis an end view of abottle having its mouth or neck sealed by a device within the spirit andscope of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a bottle-neckinternally constructed to receive my improved bottle-seal, thesealing-plug being shown in position before it has been forced in tocompress the sealing medium or washer and before the detachable lockingmeans has been applied. Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2,showing the plug forced home and the washer compressed and the retainingor locking means in position. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of thebottle-neck to illustrate clearly the internal formation thereof. Fig. 5is a detail perspective View of the sealing-plug. Fig. 6 is a detailperspective view of the sealing means or washer. Fig. 7 is a detailperspective view of the detachable retaining means. Fig. 8 is a detailperspective of a neck of a bottle sealed in accordance with myinvention, dotted lines showing fingers and indicating the method ofextracting the seal.

In the drawings, a is a bottle, having the neck b, which is formed withan internal an nular shoulder or seat c a distance below its upper endor mouth. The internal diameter of the neck from its top edge down tosaid seat is greater than the internal diameter of the neck at the innersurrounding edge of said seat, so that the sealing-plug, as hereinafterset forth, can move freely into the bottle-neck until it rests on and isstopped by and seated on said seat or shoulder c. At a suitable distanceabove said annular seat the inner surface of the bottle-neck is formedwith an annular groove or depression d, which is preferably so arrangedwith respect to said seat as to leave the inner face of the bottle-neckcylindrical or plane between the seat and groove, although my inventionis not so limited, as said intervening surface of the bottle-neckbetween the seat and groove might be otherwise formed, according to thecontour or outline of the surrounding edge flange of the sealing-plughereinafter referred to.

e is the sealing-plug, preferably formed of thin ductile metal. The plugis dished or cup-shaped and hollow, and I usually strike them up bysuitable dies from thin sheet metal which is very light-such, forinstance, as thin sheet-aluminium. The central depressed cylindricalportion of the plug is formed with such external diameter as to snugly tand enter the contracted internal portion of the bottle-neck at theinner edge of the said internal shoulder or seat, sub stantially asshown in Fig. 3, and thus project and extend below the plane of the saidseat or shoulder. The plug` at the upper end of said depressed or dishedcenter is formed with the annular outwardly-projecting iat flange e',formed or arranged to approximately fit snugly the internal portion ofthe bottle-neck intervening between the groove d and the seat, so thatwhen the plug is in place an annular approximately closed chamber willbe formed between said seat and flange and surrounded by the internalface of the bottle-neck and closed at the inner side by the outer faceof the depressed center of the plug. I preferably provide sealing meansbetween said seat and {lange-such, for instance, as atiat washerf, ofany suitable Inaterial. I can use cork for this purpose, although myinvention is not so limited. Before the plugs are applied to the bottlesthe fiat washers are applied thereto, so as to tit snugly around andretain their places on the depressed centers and lie with their flatfaces against the under surfaces of the said flanges of the plugs. Theplugs when thus provided with packing or sealing washers are droppedinto their respective bottle-necks with the washers resting with theirunder ilat faces on the annular seats ofthe bottle-necks, as shownapproximately in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Downward pressure is thenapplied to the plugs by suitable mechanism until the washers arecompressed to the necessary degree to insure a liquid-tight joint,(seeFig. 3 of the drawings,) and then the proper detachable retaining orlocking means are applied to retain the plug and sealing-washer or othermeans in the sealing condition.

I do not wish to limit myself to a metal sealing-plug of the form shown,as the central depressed portion can be otherwise shaped or formed, orpossibly sealing-plugs might be otherwise formed, although materialadvantages are attained by providing the centrallydished or cup-shapedform of plug, as a liquid-tight joint or seal is thereby insured and thewasher is kept in place and confined from contact with the contents ofthe bottle, the sealing-washer is inclosedin what might be termed achamber between the plug and inner surface of the bottle-neck, and theplug fits the bottle-neck: snugly below the sealingwasher, and,furthermore, the washers can be placed on the plugs and maintained inplace thereon before the plugs are applied to the bottle, and hence theplugs and washers can be applied by one operation, and plugs can besupplied to the market having the sealing-washers thereon, in additionto certain other advantages.

A material and important object of my invention is to provide athoroughly-efficient bottle-seal which will prevent leakage of the gasesor liquids and yet which can be extracted Without the employment ofpeculiar or other implements the necessary presence and use of whichconstitute such a serious disadvantage against the employment of themetaleap and sealing-plug bottle-seals now generally found on themarket. In carrying out this object I can provide various devices, andas an instance of what might be employed for this purpose, although myinvention is not so limited, I show a detachable retaining or lockingdevice separate from the sealing-plug and arranged to spring into thegroove d and firmly and rigidly hold the plug down with the washercompressed below the same, and I provide such retaining means with aprojecting thumb-piece, so arranged that lateral pressure against thesame will force the said retaining means from the bottle-mouth andpermit the internal pressure of the gas within the bottle to force thesealing-plug therefrom.

In the drawings I showasplit ring g, formed of spring-wire, usually,although not necessarily, round in cross-section and so bent and formedas to spring into the annular groove or depression d and firmly maintainits position therein and bearing down on the surrounding flange of plugimmediately above the sealing-washer below said flange, and thusmaintain the liquid-tight joint. The said ring usually enters theannular groove or depression a distance equal to one-half or less thediameter of the wire, and the groove and ring are so relatively formedas to ac'- complish approximately this result and also are so arrangedthat the ring bears down on the plug entirely around its top face, thesplit or break in the ring being of the slightest possible length, so asto avoid the slightest possibility of leakage around the edge of thefiange of the plug. The retaining means can be of any suitableconstruction, and my invention is not limited to the employment of asplit-ring construction, as other arrangements and constructions ofretaining devices can be employed. In the construction shown theextractor or lever projection, arm, or thumb-piece g projects upwardlyfrom the retaining means to a point above the mouth of the bottle, andthe said projection is of such length and Width as to provide a properand sufficient bearing-surface for the thumb or finger in extracting theretainer. In the specific example Shown the wire of the ring is formedwith a lateral upward loop or deflection of the proper length to formthe projection g and is so arranged with respect to the ring orother-formed retainer that lateral pressure thereon of the sufficientforce and power will cause such a contraction of the ring as to springor bend a portion of the ring inwardly from the groove, and hence permiteasy removal of the entire ring. The ring is formed with an inwarddeflection C", from which the thumb-piece or projection extends upwardlyand clears the groove in the bottleneck. I usually extend the projectionor thu nib-piece up from one end of the split ring to facilitateextraction, as the end of the ring can be readily forced inwardly fromthe groove, and a slight upward pressure on the thumb-piece will causethe ring to tilt entirely from the mouth of the bottle, and the internalpressure within the bottle will cause thc plug to immediately follow andalso aid in extracting the retainer.

As hereinbefore stated, I do not wish to limit my invention to any7particular form or construction of sealing-plug or stopper nor to thespecilic form of retainer shown, as other forms of retainers can beemployed having the lever projection extending to a readily-accessiblepoint at the exterior of the bottle or bottle-mouth.

The retainers are usually applied to the IOO IIO

bottle after the plugs have been inserted and forced down, a suitabledevice being provided to hold the plugs down with the wash erscompressed and to insert the retainers while contracted, so that theywill expand into the grooves as soon as released and before the downwardpressure on the plug has been released. Hence as soon as the downwardpressure on the plug is released the tendency of the washer to expandwill tend to take up any looseness between the plug and the retainer andwill maintain the seal tightly locked against leakage.

I do not desire to limit my invention to the employment of theparticular sealing-plug in connection with the particular retainingmeans, nor do I desire to limit myself to a spring-retainer providedwith a projecting lever thumb-piece to use in connection with anyparticular sealing means, and it is obvious that various changes mightbe made in the forms, constructions, and arrangements of the partsdescribed without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is'- l. Thebottle-seal comprising a removable sealing-plug, in combination with theexpansive spring-retainer seated on the plug and springing into thebottle-neck and provided with the extractor thumb-piece projecting tothe exterior of the bottle-month and having an offset connection withthe retainer, whereby pressure on the thumb-piece will spring theretainer from its locked position and from the bottle-mouth and releasethe sealing-plug, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a bottle having a sealing shoulderor seat, aremovable sealing-plug thereon, and a removable spring-retaining ringwithin the bottle-neck and springing outwardly against the wall thereofand holding the sealing-plug down in sealing position, said ringprovided with an approximately rigid upwardly-projecting thumb-piecehaving a lateral connection therewith, whereby lateral pressure appliedto the thumb-piece will spring the ring from the bottle-neck and releasethe sealing-plug therefrom, substantially as described.

3. The bottle having a sealing-shoulder within its mouth and alocking-seat above the shoulder, a removable sealing-plug having thecylindrical portion fitting the bottle-mouth below the shoulder andhaving the top iiange opposing the shoulder, the sealing-washer on theplugand between the shoulder and flange, the separate splitspring-retaining ring fitting on said flange and sprung i'nto saidlockingseat, said plug being forced down to tightly compress said washerand permit said ring to spring into said seat and lock the plug, saidring provided with a rigid lever thumb-piece projecting upwardly to apoint above the botf3 it) tlc-mouth and forming a broad bearing-surface,whereby lateral pressure against said lever thumb-piece tilts the ringfrom the bottle-mouth, substantially as described.

4. The bottle-seal comprising the sealingplug, and the expansible splitspring-retaining ring formed with a lateral and upwardlyprojecting loopconstituting the upwardlyprojecting lever thumb-piece, whereby the plugis retained in its sealing position in the bottle-mouth by the said ringexpanded in the bottle-mouth above said plug, and whereby the seal isbroken by lateral pressure applied to said thumb-piece which tilts thering from the bottle-mouth and releases the plug, substantially asdescribed.

5. A bottle-seal comprising the cup-shaped thin metal plug having thetop annular flange and a sealing-washer surrounding the plug beneath thefiange, in combination with an expansible retaining-ring provided with adeleeted lateral loop forming the upwardly-projecting lever thumb-piece,the plug adapted to fit removably in and sealing the bottleneck and tobe held down therein compressing the washer by said ring expanded into agroove in the bottle neck, whereby lateral pressure on said thumb-piecewill spring the ring from the groove and rock the same from the bottleand release the plug, substantially as described.

(5. A bottle having its neck formed with an internal sealing-seat and alocking groove or shoulder above the same, in combination with acup-shaped metal sealing-plug having a top iiange and a sealing-washeraround the plug beneath the flange, said plug removably sealing thebottle-neck with the washer compressed between said iiange andsealing-seat, and an annular retainer resting on said flange of the plugand expanded in said lockinggroove and thereby holding the plug downwith the washer compressed, said retainer having a lever thumb-pieceapproximately rigid therewith and projecting laterally and upwardlytherefrom to the exteriorof the bottie-mouth, whereby lateral pressureon the thumb-piece will tilt said retainer from the groove and from thebottle and release the plug, substantially as described.

7. A bottle-seal comprising a readily-removable sealing-plug, adapted toseal the bottle, in combination with a split spring-metal retaining ringadapted to expand into a locking-seat in the bottle-neck above andholding down said sealing-plug, said ring formed with a projectionextending to the exterior of the bottle-mouth and united to the ring byan inwardly-projecting offset, whereby said projection forms a leverthumb-piece by which the ring can be sprung from said locking-seat andtilted from the bottle to release the plug, substantially as described.

8. The bottle-seal comprising a removable plug or sealing means, and thesplit spring- ICO retaining ring resting on and holding down Intestimony whereof I affix my signature the plug and expanded into alooking-seat in presence of two witnesses.

within the bottle-mouth, and provided with l 1 i an upward rigid loopforming a broad bear- WILLIAM L' HEATH' ing-surface above thebottle-mouth and eon- Witnesses:

stituting a lever thumb-piece for the purpose .ELISHA S. HEATH,

described. UHAs. C. HEATH.

